Toy track



W. J. MARTIN TOY TRACK Filed Oct. 21, 1943 May 7, 1946.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 wizzzzmm 7' in, INVENTOR.

wyam a y 1946- w. J. MARTIN 2,399,876

TOY TRACK Filed Oct. 21, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TViZZz'am Nari in,

IN V EN TOR.

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ATI'DRNEYE Patented May 7, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to railroad tracks, more particularly to tracks of the type used for toy mechanical and electric trains, and has among its objects and advantages the provision of an improved track bed made up in sections detachably connected together and designed to simulate bridge spans and the like, and in which the sections of the bed are straight and curved and interchangeable in such manner as to be capable of assembly in tracks of various configurations.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a railroad in accordance with my invention and of elliptical contour.

Figure 2 is a side view.

Figure 3 is a top view of a section of the track illustrating the latch means for detachably connecting the span sections.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the track of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a top face view of one span section, and

Figure 7 is a side view of the span section of Figure 6.

In the embodiment of the invention selected for illustration, Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a railroad I0 made up of a series of span sections [2 arranged end to end and constituting a bed for the rail sections M. The rail sections l4 may be of the conventional type and includes the usual cross ties Hi to which the rails 18 are attached. Some of the sections l2 are straight and the remaining sections are curved. In other respects, all the sections are identical. All the sections are preferably made up in lengths identical with the length of the rail sections N.

All the span sections l2 are preferably of wood or other material into which nails or screws may be driven. All the sections are also grooved at 20 to provide a recess into which the rail sections l4 may be placed and made secure, as by screws or tacks 22. The rail sections fit loosely in the grooves to facilitate placement and removal. Each span section is also recessed at 24 in its bottom face to provide a bridge span configuration when viewed from the side.

All the span sections l 2 are provided with semicircular recesses 26 at their ends and in the bottom faces of the grooves 20. In one recess 26 of each span section is pivotally mounted a hook 23 to pivot in a horizontal plane, and an upstanding pin 30 is arranged in the other recess of each span. When assembled, the span sections l2 lie in end to end engagement and the hook 28 of one span is latched to the pin 3!! of the adjacent span so that all the spans are connected into a unitary structure. However, the span sections I! may be easily disconnected one from the other for the removal or addition of span sections to enlarge, decrease or vary the contour of the span assembly. Since the span sections l2 are identical in length with the rail sections M, the span sections may be arranged so as to provide road beds of different contours. The exposed faces of the span sections 12 may be decorated to provide a stone finished appearance 32 or other type of simulated construction material.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain my invention, that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim:

In a toy rail structure, a plurality of span units, said span units having longitudinal grooves in their upper faces registering when the units are in end to end engagement with each other and forming a channel, toy rail sections mounted in said grooves and having lengths corresponding to the lengths of the supporting span units, means fixedly securing the rail units to the respective span units, recesses in the bottom faces of said grooves at the ends of the span units and underlying said toy rail sections, said recesses being open at their outer ends and registering with recesses in abutting ends of adjoining units to form pockets countersunk in the channel formed by the grooves, and pins and hooks disposed in said recesses for detachably connecting said span units one with the other and holding their rail sections in close fitting end to end engagement with each other.

WILLIAM J. MARTIN. 

